REVIEW – EDITORS – IN THIS LIGHT AND ON THIS EVENING (KITCHENWARE)
Oct 29, 2009 Berlin 3nd July
Posted by
vice
Forget emo. Another romanticism is possible: the pompous and decadent romanticism of certain Eighteenth century fiction. Magnificent and at the same time tormented, extremely personal yet universal, the Editors’ first two albums would have been the perfect soundtrack for a new-new romantic world. Starting from the “influence” of old wave (Ian Curtis seems to be more than just another model for singer/lead guitarist Tom Smith), those two albums still nod to 1990s britpop, while winking an eye at the orchestral/pop sounds that were born in Canada and are now expanding all over the mainstream, without forgetting about The Cure and all that derived from them.
But now, it seems as if the Editors have decided to forget about The Back Room and An End Has a Start, cleaning up the guitar-plus-drums one-two punch that made songs like Smokers Outside the Hospital Doors sound so great, and reinvent themselves for their new record. It seems like they decided to go for an ’80s electro-pop vibe. Good choice? Meh.
Going through the tracks of In this Light and on this Evening, here’s what popped into our heads: lots of New Order, loads of new romantic stuff, even some Killing Joke and Sisters of Mercy for the first eponymous track. The Editors’ approach to music has shifted, abandoning the huge impact of their wall of guitars and drums, to concentrate on a new form of vintage, made of drum machines and synths that try to reach a new, unedited form of grandeur. The first track’s keyboard riff sounds like an old Eurythmics b-side, while still resembling the forgotten work of the Orgy, those guys who tried to use 80s keyboards instead of distorted guitars to create a new sound for the 90s.In this sea of silicon generated by the synthetic instruments the band seems to have OD’d on, Tom’s voice needs to come through—and it actually does—as the main character. In this Light and on this Evening is, more than anything else, an album of songs by Tom Smith. Luckily, he hasn’t really changed his attitude and his verve.
For these reasons, this new endeavour seems like a true experiment, or maybe a transitional record, a necessary passage for a better understanding of what music the band needs to write, to be the perfect soundtrack to Tom’s voice. Right now, the Editors have lost their trademark, and if loads of fans will have a hard time understanding their evolution, on the other hand just a couple of listening sessions and an open mind will be enough for them to rediscover that band they used to like. Kinda.
